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| Electrical Installations Operating at Potentials of Less Than 50 Volts on Vessels of Less Than 100 Gross Tons | 169.664 – 169.673 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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33 U.S.C. 1321(j); 46 U.S.C. 3306, 6101; Pub. L. 103-206, 107 Stat. 2439; E.O. 11735, 38 FR 21243, 3 CFR, 1971-1975 Comp., p. 793; DHS Delegation 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4; § 169.117 also issued under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 3507.
CGD 83-005, 51 FR 896, Jan. 9, 1986, unless otherwise noted.
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Subscribe to: 46 CFR Part 169 Subpart 169.600 - Electrical Installations Operating at Potentials of Less Than 50 Volts on Vessels of Less Than 100 Gross Tons
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The requirements in this subpart apply to electrical installations operating at potentials of less than 50 volts on vessels of less than 100 gross tons.
Each generator, motor and other major item f power equipment must be provided with a name plate indicating the manufacturer's name, its rating in volts and amperes or in volts and watts and, when intended for connection to a normally grounded supply, the grounding polarity.
(a) Each vessel of more than 65 feet in length having only electrically driven fire and bilge pumps must have two generators. One of these generators must be driven by a means independent of the auxiliary propulsion plant. A generator that is not independent of the auxiliary propulsion plant must meet the requirements of § 111.10-4(c) of this chapter.
(b) Each generator and motor must be in a location that is accessible, adequately ventilated, and as dry as practicable.
(c) Each generator and motor must be mounted as high as practicable above the bilges to avoid damage by splash and to avoid contact with low lying vapors.
(d) Each generator must be protected from overcurrent by a circuit breaker, fuse or an overcurrent relay.
(a) Each switchboard must be in as dry a location as practicable, accessible, protected from inadvertent entry, and adequately ventilated. All uninsulated current carrying parts must be mounted on nonabsorbent, noncombustible, high dielectric insulating material.
(b) Each switchboard must be—
(1) Totally enclosed; and
(2) Of the dead front type.
(c) Each ungrounded conductor of a circuit must have at the point of attachment to the power source either—
(1) A Circuit breaker; or
(2) A switch and fuse.
(d) Each switch other than one mounted on a switchboard must be of the enclosed type.
[CGD 83-005, 51 FR 896, Jan. 9, 1986, as amended by USCG-2014-0688, 79 FR 58287, Sept. 29, 2014]
(a) Each battery must be in a location that allows the gas generated in charging to be easily dissipated by natural or induced ventilation.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, a battery must not be located in the same compartment with a gasoline tank or gasoline engine.
(c) If compliance with paragraph (b) of this section is not practicable, the battery must be effectively screened by a cage or similar structure to minimize the danger of accidental spark through dropping a metal object across the terminals.
(d) Each battery must be located as high above the bilges as practicable and secured against shifting with motion of the vessel. Each battery and battery connection must be accessible so as to permit removal.
(e) All connections must be made to battery terminals with permanent type connectors. Spring clips or other temporary type clamps may not be used.
(f) Each battery must be located in a tray of lead or other suitable material resistant to deteriorating action by the electrolyte.
(g) Each battery charger intended for connection to a commercial supply voltage must employ a transformer of the isolating type. An ammeter that is readily visible must be included in the battery charger circuit.
(h) A voltage dropping resistor, provided for charging a battery, must be mounted in a ventilated noncombustible enclosure that prevents hazardous temperatures at adjacent combustible materials.
(i) The main supply conductor from the battery must have an emergency switch, located as close as practicable to the battery, that opens all ungrounded conductors.
(j) If a storage battery is not in the same compartment and adjacent to the panel or box that distributes power to the various lighting, motor and appliance branch circuits, the storage battery lead must be fused at the battery.
A separate circuit from the switchboard must be provided for each radiotelephone installation.
Each circuit breaker must be of the manually reset type designed for—
(a) Inverse time delay;
(b) Instantaneous short circuit protection; and
(c) Repeated opening of the circuit without damage to the circuit breaker.
Each light, receptacle and switch exposed to the weather must be watertight and must be constructed of corrosion-resistant material.
(a) Wiring for power and lighting circuits must have copper conductors, of 14 AWG or larger, and—
(1) Meet Article 310-8 and Table 310-13 of the National Electrical Code;
(2) Be listed as “50 volt boat cable”; or
(3) Meet subpart 111.60 of this chapter.
(b) Wiring for power and lighting circuits on new vessels must have stranded conductors.
(c) Conductors must be sized so that—
(1) They are adequate for the loads carried; and
(2) The voltage drop at the load terminals is not more than 10 percent.
(a) Wiring must be run as high as practicable above the bilges.
(b) Wiring, where subject to mechanical damage, must be protected.
(c) A wiring joint or splice must be mechanically secure and made in a junction box or enclosure.
(d) Unless a splice is made by an insulated pressure wire connector, it must be thoroughly soldered and taped with electrical insulating tape or the soldered joint must be otherwise protected to provide insulation equivalent to that of the conductors joined.
(e) Where ends of stranded conductors are to be clamped under terminal screws, they must be formed and soldered unless fitted with pressure terminal connectors.
(f) Conductors must be protected from overcurrent in accordance with their current-carrying capacities.
(g) Conductors supplying motors and motor operated appliances must be protected by a separate overcurrent device that is responsive to motor current. This device must be rated or set at not more than 125 percent of the motor full-load current rating.
(h) On metallic vessels the enclosures and frames of all major electrical equipment must be permanently grounded to the metal hull of the vessel by the mounting bolts or other means. Cable armor must not be used as the normal grounding means.
(i) On nonmetallic vessels, the enclosures and frames of major electrical equipment must be bonded together to a common ground by a normally noncurrent carrying conductor.
(j) For grounded systems the negative polarity of the supply source must be grounded to the metal hull or, for nonmetallic vessels, connected to the common ground.
(k) On a nonmetallic vessel, where a ground plate is provided for radio equipment it must be connected to the common ground.
(l) For grounded systems, hull return must not be used except for engine starting purposes.